The Grey Guard
Overview: The Grey Guard is a powerful political and military force within the Empire of Vecracan. Its highest members, called Inquisitors, speak with the authority of Emperor Relgorn Khollin II himself to defend the Empire against any and all threats. The leader of the Grey Guard is Krinn Imdil. Brief History: The Grey Guard was founded during the invasion of the third Khan. Its members came from every race and caste, but were unified in the pain of lost family, friends, and homes. Daring raids and ambushes were conducted against the Khan’s forces to whittle them down, disrupt supply lines, and free those captured and enslaved. Many of the Grey Guard were revered as heroes, but many of these heroes died in the fighting. This resulted in many leadership issues and infighting, but its members still persevered. Once the third Khan was killed, most of the Grey Guard retired to their old homes to help rebuild. The few that stayed with the Grey Guard knew that someday a new Khan or some other major threat would rise against Vecracan and all of Aboris. The diplomatic Krinn Imdil, a Half-Elf from Carrigan, was chosen to lead. He helped get the remaining members formally trained and educated in their chosen fields, made contacts throughout Vecracan, and lead its members against threats to Vecracan’s people. All of this helped the Grey Guard stay relevant decades after the Khan’s defeat, which helped open doors and gain new recruits. Even though the Grey Guard were always fairly successful, most of their fame and political clout come from helping put down the rebellions in Castile and Devonshire. They happened to be in the region after hearing rumors of a cult performing human sacrifice. One day while traveling, they heard combat ahead and charged forward to see what looked like a large group of bandits attacking a small party of armored knights. After fending off the bandits, they realized the leader of the knights was Emperor Relgorn Kholin II. Seeing their combat prowess and hearing of their investigation, he asked them to look into the rebellion brewing and stop it if possible. The people of this region had suffered war long enough. After much debate about involving themselves in a political matter, Krinn Imdil agreed. Over the next two decades, the Grey Guard put down rebellions or stopped them from happening faster than the Emperor’s armies could. As they proved themselves time and time again, the Grey Guard was showered with honors and rewards. Finally, they were offered power to perform all their work with the Emperor’s authority and full support, but it came with a price. The prestige of the Grey Guard had grown so great that some of the powerful noble families wanted their children to be members and this was the price the Emperor asked. Another heated debate between the members of the Grey Guard followed. About a third of the members had argued against working for the Empire in the first place and were now dead set against it. When the Grey Guard voted and found the majority in support of what the Emperor asked, this minority quit the guild. After the assassination of Prince Tallin Khollin, the Grey Guard lead an army into Oriath and conquered the kingdom, but never found who was behind the assassination. Currently, the Grey Guard is spread thin throughout Aboris as Krinn Imdil sees the signs of unrest brewing everywhere.